motor drives

[cobra84]

Hi, i have a skywatcher 150p with a EQ3-2 mount. What does a motor drive do if i added it to.my scope and is it worth it?

Thanks

Mark

[astrofox]

Assuming you buy just the RA motor, It will track objects with ease as they move accross the sky. Well almost!

[Langy]

Depending on price and how much you value it, I can say even with my cheap scope where the drive was cheap at £34 it was well worth the money.

WebCam on objects, DSLR piggy back on scope and just general viewing tracking the object in the sky save so much time constantly adjusting the scope.

Although mine in cheap and not accurate with constant tweaking of the drive speed and occasional Dec adjustment I can keep things like Jupiter in the EP for quite some time.

My favorite has to be Piggy Backing the DSLR to get longer exposure images, even with a wide angle lens just allows you to fill the frame with numerous stars that you may not see with the eye but will with some 10x50 bins.

[Alien 13]

The motor drive does make life easier when observing with higher magnifications the tracking accuracy is dependent on good polar alignment.

I use an EQ3-2 for imaging and even after an hours session last night the target was still bang in the center of my scope.

Alan

[Pete Presland]

almost essential for any type of astrophotgraphy. with a RA drive and a rough polar alignment, even webcam imaging becomes a more relaxed affair! i would recommend the dual axis motors if your bugdet will stretch to them, even though your mount only tracks in RA simply because are better quality than some of the single motors i have seen. if not the single motor will still be a very welcome addition!

[cobra84]

Thanks all.ive bought the duel axis motor. So it is a must to polar align for the motor to keep stars / planets bang in the centre of the eyepeice? When i tried it, it didnt keep anything in the scope for long either switched to N OR S mode both went out of view very quick even at x2 on any eyepeice.

[Bizibilder]

You must be well polar aligned - with my EQ5 and dual axis motors I can keep a sunspot dead centre of the webcam camera chip for around five minutes - more than long enough for a taking a movie.  Even then I only have to nudge the motors very gently to align for the next "take".  When using the DSLR for full disc images I can take pictures for well over 10 mins before any noticeable drift.  My mount alignment is simply by Polar scope.

[Langy]

By duel axis do you mean that it works on both axis? Sorry totally new to me.

If you Polar Align properly then only the RA axis should ever need to be driven to keep track of the subject. I know with my MD it also has a speed setting to change as Lunar and Planetary objects move at a different rate to the DSO.

[cobra84]

Ok cheers. Might be a stupid question but with my EQ3 mount when ive set the right latitude and polar aligned to polaris. If i wanted to look at something 180° from polaris my scope will be pointing down. So that would knock out my alignment if i turned the mount facing S but kept the same latitude if that makes sense? Pretty new to.this as u can tell lol

[Langy]

Once you have polar aligned you only ever move the RA and Dec axis. To help look on youtube for using an EQ mount it will explain it all.

Sent from my Windows Phone 8X by HTC using Tapatalk

[Bizibilder]

Dual axis means one drive motor for each axis.  You are correct in assuming that you should only need to drive the polar axis to follow an object.  If your alignment is not perfect then the occasional "nudge" of the dec axis will get the object you are following centered again.  As Langy says, once aligned you do not move the mount (ie pick it up and physically move it).  You simply release the clutches and rotate the axis in order to locate your object.  Then you tighten the clutches again and the motor drive will take over and follow the object.

Equatorial mounts can be very confusing to start with - but you can have a practice indoors if you wish!  Once you get the hang of them, moving them to point at an object becomes second nature - just like riding a bike!  

[cobra84]

Cheers guys big help. Hopefully be snapping some good photos to share with all when i work out my motor an mount lol

[Pete Presland]

from my garden that i lived at for a considerable number i years i have a pretty good idea where the pole stars is, so even in the day i can do a very rough polar alignment when using the PST. this normally easily good enough for webcam imaing on the sun, i do tend to try and get it a little more accurate for longer focal lengths used in planetary imaging.